"Evolution of a Dream: The Story Behind Spike VGA"

[Jasoco]

I'm sure we all saw or tried to avoid the Spike TV VGA's last month..or this month.. whenever. Anyway, I bet you all wanted to know HOW in the hell it was ever concieved! I know you do. Well, here's your answer. Quite a good laugh. From GamingFM.com. An internet radio station for game music. Found the link on VGMuseum.com.

 

http://complete.gamingfm.com/main/

 

It's partially down the page. Here.. I'll quote it.

 

It was the best of times, it was the most profitable of times when the executives of Spike TV sat down around their long oak conference table at the weekly meeting on the 80th floor of Spike Towers (formerly TNN towers). "We need to create an awards show to gain some respect in the network cable TV community. Anyone got any ideas?" The suits looked pensive for a moment as they delved deep into thought. There were a few good ones like the "Hottest Chicks in Reality Television" and "Top Ten Explosions in Movies Made by Jerry Bruckheimer" but the artisans at Spike really wanted to push the envelope in terms of originality. They wanted to take awards shows to the next level.

 

Former Nickelodeon President Albie Hecht, who had been unusually quiet in these brainstorming sessions lately despite his stellar proposal two weeks previous of a reality show that follows Pro-Horseshoe players on their quest for the coveted Saddle Cup, relayed an ponderence off his colleagues: "My son, Herbie Hecht, who's 14, likes to play videogames. How about a videogames award show?" And like millionaire bunny rabbits all the ears of the corporate suits perked up, "Sounds good, Albie. Tell us more."

 

"Well," Albie continued "his seventh grade friends always come over to play this game called Grand Moff Auto: Dice City. It's a game where you run around and borrow cars to do good deeds. They all seem really into it."  

 

At this point, the CEO of Spike TV, Harvey Spike, had heard enough, "Hmmm....13-18 year old demographic? That sounds like it will get us ratings. Lets do it."

 

Progressing the idea was where the difficulty lied, because all the members of the Spike board, although firmly tapped in vein of pop culture with their knowledge of The J. Geils Band and the Breakfast Club movies, found themselves lacking in experience with these new videogame entertainment devices. In order to make an Awards show about videogames they needed to know about videogames, so they sought out a subject matter expert. Albie, determined to knock two out of the ballpark this meeting, once again spoke up "I think I can get Herbie to do it. He does, after all, have both a Playstation 2 AND a Xbox."

 

"Another good suggestion, Albie! Ask the boy!" CEO Spike exclaimed.

 

That night, at the Hecht household, over a delicious dinner of OnCor Salisbury Steak, Albie asked for Herbie's assistance. The caring father explained to his son over the course of twenty minutes the importance of this project to Spike TV and how it could effect future generations of videogamists by setting the standard by which all other videogames awards shows would be measured. Following a brief moment of thought, Herbie enthusiastically responded, "Fine. Whatever." Albie was pleased.

 

After supper and a healthy round of bowel movements (which he proudly displayed for his older sister, Agnes) Herbie headed upstairs to his room, printed up a door sign on his Compaq that read "Keep izzout, faggets!" and sat down to do serious work on a proposal for his beloved dad. He needed to figure out set designs, schedule guest appearances, assign categories, select nominees and, of course, determine winners.  

 

What he experienced was the most laborious 15 minutes of his lifetime.  

 

Taking a methodical approach, Herbie laid out every case of his expansive 32 game library on his bed and peered at them, scribbling furiously on his spiral notebook a list of the best of the bunch. Objectivity was the toughest thing for him, because although he held certain games close to his heart, like Monster Jam Maximum Destruction, he knew he had to be the voice of all the game players everywhere and pick what they liked too.  

 

To represent the people, Herbie had to go to the people, and receive their recommendations. He marched over to his PC, signed into AOL, and went straight to the IGN forums, whose members were amongst the foremost authorities in videogames today. After logging into the Premium forums (Herbie took his pastime seriously) he created a deftly worded thread "Best Games EVA!!!!1!" that was sure to attract the cream of the crop.  

 

"sup peeps,

my dad wantz me to make a lisgt of the best gamez eva for this awards shizzow hes doin…… so what do yall think no gheycube plz!!! LOLZ!  

Holla!!!!  

P1mpp3n15 "

 

Within moments, the thread was filled with recommendations from some of the most respected members of the community. Herbie was not surprised because this was the first time in days that a topic with a similar subject matter had been posted. Many games were posted that Herbie had not played and he was hesitant in adding them to his existing top tier list, but when a game receives a recommendation like "True Crime r0x0rs!" from not just one--but two well known aficionados, A55-53X-69 and 13ITCH.P1MP, then it was his job, no--his duty, to add it.  

 

But Herbie needed to be selective over whose input he added because one of the downsides of posting in a public forums was that you often got responses from people who had very little experience in the topic of discussion. One such child, a MikeAdams1978 had suggested Legend of Zelda the Wind Waker for Game of the Year because it had "phenomenal graphics" and "an engrossing story filled with timeless characters." Herbie dealt with such posts like a gentleman, letting them down easily with "OMFGWTF?!?!?!!!1? I said no gheycube!111!!1go suck a d1ck or something f@g!!!!!!1!!1"

 

Herbie finished up the proposal with some general ideas for set design and celebrity hosts and presenters as well as a couple of ideas for musical performances by some of the top acts today (Herbie felt that music would break up the monotony of seeing game after game for two hours and help the show appeal to a wider audience).

 

Mentally exhausted, Herbie headed downstairs with the following proposal in hand:

 

 

He stressed to his dad that it was just a blueprint--guidelines he should follow when designing the show. His father thanked him profusely for his son's sage-like input. Herbie humbly replied, "Yeah. Sure. Now where's my fifty bucks?"

 

The next day, armed with the most exhaustive blueprint in company history, Albie strode into the Spike Towers, head held high, and floored the honored executives with designs to the most innovative, hip awards show ever conceived.

 

And the rest, my friends, is history.

[SteveW]

That story's so idiotic that it might be accurate. I didn't watch the awards show, because it just looked stupid. I wouldn't voluntarily watch an awards show at gunpoint, anyway. Even when it's about videogames. I just assumed it would be all about sports and racing games, and not about GOOD games.

 

There's still one of those Spike VGA billboards up in north Dallas. There's so much construction going on over there, the billboard posters probably couldn't get to the thing to change it to something new.

[cryptik76]

I was somehow able to stomach most of the VGA show, and it was AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL

 

I was hoping (not expecting, considering it's Spike TV, but hoping) that the show would bring a little dignity to video gaming, and perhaps might cause video gaming to gain a little mainstream acceptance. Instead, the show was full of hosts who either made fun of or patronized gamers. Every statement about video games was either horribly dated (though not by this board's standards, where people actually still talk about Q-bert and Ms. Pac-Man) and/or full of sexual innuendo. The whole thing, including most of the video game clips, came off as looking very violent, hormonally-driven, and loud, like every parent's worst nightmare.

 

Granted, I'm a fan of all kinds of games, including violent ones (Grand Theft Auto, Max Payne, AvP, etc.). But where was the beauty, intelligence, and/or the wonder of games like Ico, Zelda, Morrowind, Tron 2.0, Uru, etc.? Why was so much attention paid to wrestling games and fighters with scantily-clad women, or just plain violent, bloody, swear-filled junk? Is that Spike TV's perception of video games? Or is that what video games are becoming?

 

Either way, I felt a little alienated from the whole scene as a result.

 

Whoever wrote that article deserves a good pat on the back. He or she really nailed the whole problem with that stupid show.